QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT – LIVE AT THE ODYSSEY 27.5.2022

Posted on June 11, 2022 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

The Odyssey looked a bit different from the last time I was there, last June to get my Bill Gates Mind Control Jab.

No more emergency beds, no registration desks, no cubicles. no Doctors.

Well, there was one Doctor. Doctor Brian May. More on him later.

Just a reminder, that just because normality has resumed, Covid hasn’t gone away. It’s just that your Government has stopped pretending to give a shit. Try not to be thick as shit when going about your everyday business.

For me, it would be my first trip to The Odyssey in three and a half years, since I went to see U2 in October 2018.

Might as well put it out there, I love Queen. I really really really love Queen.

How could you not?

I first got into Queen under tragic circumstances. When I was in Primary School, Freddie Mercury died. The story was all over the news for a long time, and I was exposed to the music of Queen through news reports.

My Uncle copied me a cassette of Greatest Hits I, and I think I listened to my brother’s copy of Greatest Hits II and I was mesmerised by the sound of this band.

You listen to Greatest Hits I, and then you realise there is another album of bangers to cover the decade after that.

Then you listen to Greatest Hits II, and you realise there is an album of bangers that preceded it.

Most bands would take just one Greatest Hits album of that quality, never mind two.

Greatest Hits III, a mop-up album featuring solo hits, singles from Made In Heaven, the album Freddie was working on at the time of his death, songs left off Greatest Hits I and Greatest Hits II, solo hits and a couple of remixes, even has some great moments such as Let Me Live, Las Palabras De Amor and Princes Of The Universe.

I consider myself to be a fully qualified Queenologist. Obviously, there are more qualified than me, but I can hold my own in this field.

Put it this way, I have watched a lot of documentaries (of which there has been a lot) and concert films (again, of which i’ve seen a lot)

I have tried to watch Bohemian Rhapsody but only end up pointing out the factual and chronological inaccuracies, of which there are a lot.

I listened to Queen when was 17, drinking beer I bought with a fake ID under the name of Brian McGee.

Actually, that was Homer Simpson.

The most tenuous link I have to Queen is that I once walked past Brian May’s wife’s TV Husband.

Brian May was in Edinburgh at the same time as me in August 2018 when he appeared at Edinburgh Book Festival while I was at Edinburgh Fringe.

I was tempted to see his show, but it wasn’t actually about Queen, it was about Stereoscopic Photography.

Appearing alongside him was Roger Taylor. Not that one though, this one is a Historian.

I could have stalked him for an autograph if I wanted, but I decided i’d rather go and experience Edinburgh Fringe.

This would be my first time seeing Queen in any shape or form.

Obviously, I was far too young to go when Freddie Mercury was strutting his stuff in stage.

Even if I was old enough to go and see them, they never came to Belfast anyway.

It was 2005 before they did, with Paul Rodgers on vocals. It didn’t really interest me.

By 2017, Adam Lambert was now vocals and I was tempted to go, but tickets costing £74 put me off.

For that money, i’d be expecting Freddie Mercury and John Deacon on stage, and then David Bowie to join them for Under Pressure.

I’m not sure what has happened in the five years since, but that price has now risen to £91 (£84 plus £7 Booking Fee)

Far too much.

I’m not even sure how The Odyssey can justify that Booking Fee. I recently bought tickets for The Limelight with a £3 Booking Fee (pre Covid figure as well) and a Campaign Card for Northern Ireland matches has a £5 Booking Fee, but that is for nine matches.

All three venues use Ticketmaster, so why is The Odyssey so expensive?

Luckily for me, I had a Ticketmaster voucher, so this was going to be subsidised. I wouldn’t have went if it wasn’t.

For Queen and Adam Lambert, this would be a return to where it all began, as it was here at the MTV EMAs in 2011 that they first performed together.

The start time was 8pm, meaning a bit of a dash from work to home to get fed and ready before heading back out.

As it turned out, I could have left a little later.

8pm came and they weren’t on stage.

The crowd started to get restless but found ways to occupy themselves.

First with a Mexican Wave and then by stomping their feet and chanting “WE WANT QUEEN!!!!” to the tune of We Will Rock You.

Eventually, around 8.15pm, a gothic orchestral version of Innuendo (with a Kashmir by Led Zeppelin vibe) was played over the stereo, signifying that there were about the come on stage.

We were all hoping it would be worth the wait. For some of us, we’d been waiting all our lives for this, another fifteen minutes wouldn’t hurt.

Adam Lambert has some balls taking on this gig. You can fail spectacularly when you replace a legend. Just ask David Moyes.

Curiously, Adam Lambert is now older (40) than Freddie Mercury was (39) the last time he performed with Queen.

He isn’t as good as Freddie Mercury, who is, but he is very good. That’s all you really ask for and hope for, that he can stand up on his own right as a singer.

You know you’re not going to get Freddie Mercury, but you will get the songs given a new lease of life.

I’m not even sure Queen need a singer. Just let Brian and Roger play and the crowd will just sign along.

Now that he is here, he started off with Now I’m Here, a deviation from beginning with We Will Rock You as they did in the 1980s.

Naturally, you would be expecting to hear hits, and Queen had a lot of hits.

That is what we got, as well as some album tracks that have become live favourites.

Time was of the essence, there was quite a lot to fit in.

Now I’m Here was followed by Tear It Up (from The Works, should have been a single), Keep Yourself Alive, Hammer To Fall, Somebody To Love and then Don’t Stop Me Now.

In order to facilitate Adam’s various costume changes, Brian and Roger sang a few songs as well.

The first of those was the much maligned (it was even a punchline in the Bohemian Rhapsody film) Roger sung I’m In Love With My Car.

That was the set-up for a succession of vehicular themed songs as Adam Lambert reappeared on a motorbike with the reg plate QAL (of course) to sing Bicycle Race (I know, he should have been on a bicycle)

I’m quite glad I didn’t go past Brian, Roger and Adam when out for a cycle on Saturday or Sunday because I definitely would have embarrassed myself by singing it at them.

Then of course, Fat Bottomed Girls, because fat bottomed girls will be riding their bikes.

I was expecting Crazy Little Thing Called Love to follow, because Ready Freddie like to take a long ride on his motorbike.

Nope, up next was Another One Bites The Dust and I Want It All before we eventually got Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

He couldn’t be there in person, for obvious reasons, but thanks to the magic of technology, Freddie Mercury made an appearance.

During a performance of Love Of My Life with Brian on vocals, it became a duet when Freddie joined him for the last verse via video screen, to rapturous applause.

It was then Roger’s turn for some vocals, stepping out from behind his drumkit to sing These Are The Days Of Our Lives.

Roger was again on vocal duties to take on the David Bowie role on Under Pressure, which was dedicated to Taylor Hawkins.

More hits followed such as A Kind Of Magic, I Want To Break Free and Who Wants To Live Forever?

During the performance of I Want To Break Free, Adam Lambert began laughing and forgot his lines after climbing onto Spike Edney’s piano to serenade him.

Unfortunately, Edney was too professional and focused to even notice, ignoring Lambert and prompting a fit of laughter from him.

And more hits followed, The Show Must Go On, Radio Ga Ga and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Naturally, there was mass headbanging, but between you and me, the best bit in that song is the “So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye, so you think you can love me and leave me to die” bit just after the headbangy bit.

Freddie Mercury once again made an appearance on the screens, serenading the crowd with his “Ay-oh” vocal routine.

Time for the encore, and more hits to follow, saving We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions for the end.

They said they would rock us, and they most definitely did.

It might seem petty to complain about songs not played, but with so many hits to choose from, that was always going to happen.

Overall, they were fantastic. It might not have been Proper Queen, but it’s as good as i’m going to get.

Whenever you watch a concert film on Sky Arts, it makes me wish I had seen them with Freddie Mercury, especially the 1975 Christmas Special.

It wasn’t all perfect.

It took me an hour to get out of the car park. What an absolute fucking shambles.

I took the car as the last train home in my direction was 10.57pm. I had no chance of making it.

Every other time I had been to The Odyssey, you give £3 to someone at the barrier and go.

That is not the case any more. It was a good job I asked before getting in my car.

Apparently, it is now cashless as this is more convenient. Not sure where the convenience is.

I had to pay at the machine which charged me an hourly rate instead of a flat fee.

Then, when I got in my car, it just sat there. Not moving for long periods.

Eventually, when I reached the barrier, I handed it to the Attendant who scanned my ticket, which was rejected and he had to phone a colleague to get the barrier lifted.

The same thing happened to the car in front of me. I doubt we were the only ones to experience this fate.

What a fucking shambles, I would have been quicker walking home.

Genuinely surprised I wasn’t charged for the hour I spent trying to get out of the place.

You can’t say it was due to the volume of cars. The Odyssey has been open for 21 and a half years. They should know how to manage traffic at events by now.

Curiously, two days later, I was at a Car Boot Sale and someone had a box of Queen VHS tapes for sale, some of which I had never seen. If only I had the space in my house.

In other news, i’ve got a ticket to see Paul Weller in October, meaning it will be the third of three successive Wednesday night concerts after George Ezra and Beabadoobee.

And finally, a shout out to Andrew Fletcher from Depeche Mode who died the night before this concert. They had some smashing tunes.

Really sad that I never got to see them at The Odyssey in 2013.

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NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS – LIVE AT THE ODYSSEY 9.5.2018

Posted on May 19, 2018 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

After spending most of 2018 touring to promote his third solo album Who Built The Moon?, Noel Gallagher headed into Belfast, a city that he has a lot of history with.

Of course, he was at The Limelight (with 250,000 others) on the night Definitely Maybe went to number one, he has also been here on the weeks of previous album releases both solo and as a member of Oasis.

This album had an even bigger link to Belfast, with part of it being recorded here.

Noel Gallagher spending time in Belfast and I didn’t see him once, yet somehow I always manage to walk past Uncle Andy from Give My Head Peace at least once a week.

Support came from Baxter Dury, who sings a lot like his dad. If that’s your scene, you will enjoy him.

I would have preferred it if Blossoms were supporting him, as they did when he toured Mainland Europe last month, having previously seen them supporting Paul Weller in 2015 and Kasabian (well, supposed to) in 2017, as well as a headline gig at The Limelight in early 2017.

No pressure on Noel, but I was missing Linfield v Glentoran for this. As Noel entered the stage, Linfield had just gone 2-0 up. Noel was well on the way to being my favourite Gallagher as I missed a County Antrim Shield defeat to Ards to see Liam in concert last November.

I had a quick check again two songs in and it was 2-2 en route to a 3-4 defeat. It was now Noel’s job to cheer me up rather than entertain me.

Unsurprisingly, he entered to the sound of Fort Knox, a great introductory song with an epic build up with a 1990 vibe. You could just imagine it being in the background as you hug Tony Wilson or Peter Hook in The Hacienda.

Noel was on vocals for the “Hey hey hey” bits which didn’t really work as well live as it did on the record.

This then led in to Holy Mountain, the lead single from Who Built The Moon?, a song that took a while to grow, best described as Roxy Music with flutes. Amazingly, it works.

Everybody in the venue was punching the air as Noel sang “She fell, she fell, right under my spell”, as is tradition when you reach the chorus of a Glam Rock stomper.

The opening songs were dominated by songs from Who Built The Moon? It has it’s moments, but it’s weird enough to scare off teenage parka wearing fuckwits who previously turned up at his concerts acting like shitebags, meaning that this was a more civilised affair.

One of those songs was It’s A Beautiful World, which was the opposite of Fort Knox, which sounds a lot better live than it does on record.

This block of solo hits also included stuff from previous albums such as In The Heat Of The Moment, Riverman, Ballad Of The Mighty I, IF I Had A Gun and Dream On.

Three albums in, he can fill out a set with solo material, Oasis classics are now the minority. The his now Noel properly solo, or Noelo, if you prepare.

Noel then spoke to the crowd asking “What about ye?” in a very authentic Belfast accent, asking what had happened since he was last here, answering himself with “Fuck all”, as someone threw a baseball hat at him, he took a look at it and kicked it away in disgust, before asking “Who the fuck walks around Belfast wearing a Los Angeles baseball hat?” before making another fashion based observation that judging by the way people were dressed, there were a lot of Oasis fans in the building.

That got a cheer, it was a nice link to a couple of Oasis classics, Little By Little (sounding far better than on record) and The Importance Of Being Idle before Love Is The Law, and underrated classic from Who Built The Moon?

Another stand out track from Who Built The Moon?, She Taught Me To Fly was next. Just before that song, he introduced his backing band, The High Flying Birds. The loudest cheer was for Charlotte Scissor Queen, as this was the song she plays scissors on. There were also familiar (Familiar to millions, you could say) faces in the form of former Oasai Gem Archer, Chris Sharrock and Mike Rowe.

It was then back to Oasis for some singalong classics, Half The World Away and Wonderwall, before signing off on AKA …. What a Life.

Onto the encore, and an Oasis classic not usually performed by Noel, as it was sung by Liam, Go Let It Out, with a slightly more Primal Scream-ey vibe and no Noel shouting “PICK UP THE BASS” between verses.

That was then followed by a stripped back Don’t Look Back In Anger, Noel as per usual just letting the audience do the singing.

The show ended with a cover of All You Need Is Love. Oasis did covers of I Am The Walrus and Helter Skelter as B-Sides and frequently talked about their love of The Beatles.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get the balloon drop that has happened at other concerts on the tour when he performs this song.

Want to feel old? Definitely Maybe is the mid point between now and The Beatles splitting up.

As he left the stage, he told the crowd “I’ll see you down the road”

Whatever could be mean?

Ormeau Park? Custom House Square? Titanic Slipways? Holywood Rugby Club?

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Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds live at Titanic Belfast 2016

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds live at The Odyssey 2015

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds live at Custom House Square 2012

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds live at The Odyssey 2012

BLOSSOMS – LIVE AT THE LIMELIGHT 8.3.2017

Posted on March 10, 2017 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

In life, people’s paths briefly cross before they head in different directions. That happened in February last year when Blossoms (not to be confused with the 90s TV show starring her from The Big Bang Theory) played a gig at The Limelight.

Since that gig, they’ve went on to have endless success. The band who supported them that night, Viola Beach, died the week afterwards in a vehicular accident in Sweden. Blossoms have paid numerous tributes to them throughout that year.

That gig at The Limelight was originally supposed to be in Voodoo, but was moved to The Limelight due to demand. This was six months before the release of their debut album.

Even at this point, the band were no strangers to Belfast, having already supported Paul Weller at Waterfront Hall on his Winter 2015 tour, a concert that I attended. I remember being excited by this news, thinking to myself “That’s the band that does that song Charlemagne that I love”.

In the early months of 2015, they also supported The Charlatans on their UK Tour. Both bands will be supporting The Courteeners at their massive headline gig at Old Trafford in Manchester this summer. The cricket ground, by the way.

And just recently, they’ve been announced as support for The Kooks when they tour Mainland Europe in May.

It isn’t all supporting slots, they’ve even got their own massive headline gig at Castlefield Bowl in July as part of Sounds Of The City, Manchester’s version of Belsonic. Mancsonic, if you will.

Over the last few years, they’ve been bigged up by Tim Burgess on Twitter. They’ve also been bigged up by this blog, making regular appearances on The Friday Five and Charlemagne being declared The Song Of 2015.

As mentioned earlier, Blossoms have had a lot of success over the past twelve months. Take your pick. An NME cover, Number 1 album, an appearance on the New Year’s Eve edition of Top Of The Pops, and a Brit Award nomination.

This week, you may have seen them on The Premier League Show on BBC 2.

This gig would be a brief stop off in Northern Ireland, before three Republic Of Ireland gigs in Galway, Limerick and Dublin. A hand warm-up for their NME tour later this month.

This was my first gig of 2017. I’d hoped it would have been The Pigeon Detectives at HMV last Friday night. It was advertised as an instore gig, but they just showed up, signed a few autographs and then left.

Support for this gig came from a band from Derry called Touts. They were pure Derry every time they opened their mouths. Or rather, they were Peeeyuuurrreee Deeeee-errrrry hai everytime they opened their mouths.

Their singer was a massive Wellend. He probably gets drunk on Football Special.

Fronted by a Wellend from Derry, it was no surprise they were heavily influence by The Jam and The Undertones, with also a nod to The Strypes. If that’s your thing, you’ll probably enjoy these guys.

They clarified that, despite the name, they’re not actually touts. The only informing they’ll do to The Police will be to inform them that they think Sting is a cunt. Probably.

The band appeared on stage, jumping straight into At Most A Kiss before playing favourites from their debut album such as Getaway, Blown Rose and Honey Sweet.

The most obvious observation is that Josh Dewhurst looks like Dimitar Berbatov and Tom Ogden looks like Steve McManaman, but with longer hair. In both cases. Once it is seen, it cannot be unseen.

It’s hard to describe the music of Blossoms. It’s a little bit Disco, a little bit Synth Pop and a little bit Indie, fusing all three to perfection, even managing to do an instrumental cover of Gimme Gimme Gimme by ABBA.

Further covers appeared when Tom Ogden (That’s a proper Greater Manchester name that. Probably related to Hilda) did a solo acoustic session, performing excerps from You’re Georgeous by Babybird and Half The World Away by Oasis.

Before this, Ogden appealed to the crowd for someone who had just been dumped. There were a lot of responses. Eventually, the winning member of the audience was a woman called Orla (Awwwwwww, poor Orla) who had been dumped. Twice (Awwww, poor Orla).

The most recent was by someone called Ryan, who got roundly booed. If you’re reading Ryan, BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

The encore include Charlemagne, the winner of Best Song Of 2015, still sounding good in 2017.

Leaving the stage, the band stated they hoped to see Belfast again soon. Knowing the way the music industry works, hopefully a Belsonic announcement is being embargoed until the Irish tour is over.

There’s still a long way to go to match the success of fellow Stockportonians 10CC. To paraphrase one of 10CCs biggest hits, Belfast didn’t like Blossoms. They loved them.

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CAST – LIVE AT THE LIMELIGHT 10.12.2016

Posted on December 11, 2016 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

It might seem like The Limelight is hosting a month long 90s revival festival, as I headed there for the third time in just over a week, this time to see Cast, just over a year since they were last in Belfast, also at The Limelight, in October 2015.

Unsurprisingly, it was a hits heavy set, it’s easy to forget that they had ten Top 20 singles between 1995 and 1999.

The highlight for me was Finetime, which sounds as good live as it does on record. One of my favorite songs ever, not just amongst Cast songs.

Their hits during their chart heyday were always catchy, with the crowd being able to recognise and sing along within seconds of the band starting to play.

It’s wasn’t all old stuff, there were some new songs as well, as the band have a new album out in February called Kicking Up The Dust, with the title track being played as well as Birdcage and Roar. Birdcage was the highlight of the new songs played.

John Power took the time to tell the crowd about his walk around Belfast earlier that day, that all he could see was people wearing Christmas Jumpers, hitting home for him that Christmas is approaching.

As the band played their final song, John Power said “See you soon” and walked off the stage. Each band member left individually leaving drummer Keith O’Neill the last one on stage, entertaining them with a drum solo.

If Cast split up again, he could always go on a solo tour.

Then, followed confusion, as the fans awaited what the expect an encore. It soon became apparant there was going to be no encore, which prompted boos from a section of the crowd.

Belfast is a city of poets and thinkers with a unique grasp of the English language, and a gentleman beside me eloquently summed up his thoughts when he shouted at the empty stage “THAT’S FUCKING SHITE ………. SO IT IS”

It was a disappointing end to an otherwise decent gig.

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Cast live at The Limelight October 2015

Cast live at The Limelight October 2015 Photo Album

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS – LIVE AT BOUCHER ROAD PLAYING FIELDS (TENNENT’S VITAL) 25.8.2016

Posted on August 27, 2016 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

Against my better judgement, I headed to Boucher Road Playing Fields for Tennent’s Vital, this night headlined by Red Hot Chili Pepepers. Basically, because I love RHCP, though not so much love for the joyless event that Vital has become in recent years

It almost saddens me when a band I like headlines Vital.

It was the Chili Peppers first Belfast gig since 2011, when they performed at Ulster Hall as part of the MTV EMAs. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a ticket for that gig.

Their last Belfast gig before that, was in the same venue in 1992. I was a bit too young for that gig.

Having arrived at the venue, I was greeted by Airport Security. Yes, Airport Security. For a concert. We didn’t even have that during the troubles.

The main support came from Fall Out Boy. I like Fall Out Boy, and not just because they get their name from The Simpsons.

I wouldn’t have been rushing if they were the headliners, but as support acts go, not too shabby.

I was far back with not a great view, as I looked on in amazement at seeing The Pit being half empty.

An invention at Vital is to have a pit for VIPs while the plebs have to fight for scraps, as music fans get divided into the haves and have nots.

Belsonic might not be perfect, but at least I know if I want a decent view, I have to turn up early.

Want a decent view at Vital? Have a mate who works for a sponsor or a PR company.

Eventually, the Chili Peppers appeared on stage, rifling through hit after hit, even though the UK Record Buying Public has only rewarded them with one Number One, and that was when All Saints covered one of their songs.

They sounded good, the only downside was that I couldn’t see them, due to being so far away.

As an added bonus, I was surrounded by Shitebags.

One person grabbed my throat for simply being an onstacle on his route to the front of the stage. Thankfully, I managed to push him away from me, but it was too dark to get to get a look at them as he ran off.

It’s not a particularly nice feeling when you are trying to watch the gig while having to keep an eye on what is going on around you.

Big events in Belfast usually attract Shitebags sadly, and this was no different.

I’ll never understand the mentality of throwing beer at concerts.

The tightwad in me can’t understand buying something and not fully consuming it. Then there’s the factor that you’re being a cunt.

I’m not being precious, and you’re not “Rock n Roll”, you’re just being a dick. People are coming out to watch a band, and not to have drinks and (plastic) glasses thrown over you.

If it’s not acceptable behaviour in any other environment, why would it be acceptable at a concert?

From Shitebags to another type of bag, namely backpacks. A curious phenomenon of this gig was the sheer volume of people wearing backpacks, on two straps, taking up space, and then banging into you as they walk past.

Why on earth do you need to bring a backpack to a concert?

It’s only a one day event for group out loud. All you need is money, keys, phone and a camera if you wish. You don’t need to bring a packed lunch, there are food stalls there.

And then there was the joy of having people walking from side to side aimlessly.

“How was the Chilli Peppers gig?”

“Oh it was grand aye, I just walked about from side to side”

Onto the music, it was a hit filled set, with fans being treated to Can’t Stop, Dani California, Scar Tissue,
Snow, Otherside, Californication, Under the Bridge and By the Way.

Surprisingly, Under The Bridge was in the main set. I thought that would have been saved for the encore.

Amongst the new songs played was the lead single from their new album The Getaway.

It’s a grower, but when it grows on you, you will love it.

If they are still playing live in five or ten years time, it’s a song that will be cemented in their setlist.

The only downside of the setlist was that it got a bit self indulgent, veering into Spinal Tap territory, like duelling banjos but with guitars.

For the encore, we got a special treat, an instrumental version of We Will Rock You merged with an instrumental version of We Will Rock You, before performing Give It Away.

Immediately, after the gig, a Dublin date for December was announced, while a UK tour was also announced.

Can’t help but feel that an Odyssey gig in December would have been preferable to being sat in a field surrounded by Shitebags.

It wasn’t all bad. As I was walking along the Lisburn Road, a woman kindly helped me put on my poncho (Don’t laugh, I had one in my back pocket. I’d gotten it free at a Northern Ireland match when I sat in the roofless pre-redevelopment Railway Stand)

I guess Belfast folk aren’t all knobs.

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MUSE – LIVE AT THE ODYSSEY 6.4.2016

Posted on April 8, 2016 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

I’ve always loved Muse, going back to their debut album and the single Muscle Museum, which managed to rhyme “Toilet” and “Spoil It” and have enjoyed how big they’ve become over the following 16 years. Finally, I got to see them in concert.

I had hoped it would be last year, when Matt Bellamy teased a surprise concert on Twitter, before an Ulster Hall concert was announced at four days notice. Sadly, it sold out before I was able to get a ticket.

Ulster Hall is a bit of a downgrade for Muse, they’ve been Odyssey sized for a while, playing there in 2006 but not since.

As well as being the city that kicked off the Drones tour in March 2015, Belfast holds a special place for Matt Bellamy as his mum was born there.

Eventually, they appeared on stage, jumping straight into Psycho.

Like with most Muse songs it had thunderous drums and piercing guitars.

Naturally, there was guitar solos and over the top ridiculousness aplenty. Muse have never shied away from that or taken themselves too seriously to care how they look.

Such is the ridiculousness, you could make band names from song and album titles such as Supermassive Black Hole, Knights Of Cydonia, Neutron Star collision, or Origin Of Symmetry.

You can’t have Madness as they pre-dated the Muse song by 33 years.

The stage was mostly in the round, with multiple mic stands for Matt Bellamy to use as he pleased, as well as a catwalk at both ends for him to walk along.

Bellamy was either right beside you or at the other end of the arena. There was enough of him to go about, as he regularly changed ends between songs.

The bit of the stage that was in the round even spun around when the band were performing on it.

Chris Wolstenholme wasn’t afraid to join in the ridiculousness, having a glow in the dark Bass and changing them between songs, having one in White, Blue, Red and Green.

Muse are at the stage where they could wheel out a Greatest Hits set, bashing them out one after each other. Those who were there for hits weren’t to be disappointed with Uprising, Resistance, Plug In Baby, Dead Inside, Madness, Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole and Undisclosed Desires all on the setlist, with Mercy and Knights of Cydonia performed during the encore.

The biggest reaction came during Starlight with fans clapping along to the drumbeat and singing the piano bit during the intro.

Fans were treated to large balloons filled with confetti being dropped from the sky, as well as ticker tape covering the arena later in the show,

I would have loved to have seen two of my personal favourites, Panic Station and Neutron Star Collision performed, but it was still a strong setlist.

During the show, Matt Bellamy said “We haven’t played this building for ten years, it won’t be so long until the next time”

As the band left the stage, the concert ending with a guitar solo v drum solo shoot-out between Matt Bellamy and Dom Howard, drummer Dom Howard said they won’t leave it ten years before their next Belfast show.

Belfast folk will be holding Muse to that promise between now and 2026, just as we’re constantly reminding Foo Fighters and Bon Jovi of those Belfast gigs they’ve promised.

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PRIMAL SCREAM – LIVE AT THE LIMELIGHT 24.10.2013

Posted on October 26, 2013 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

Primal Scream made a long awaited return to Belfast for two gigs at The Limelight, on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th.

Originally just a Thursday gig, a Wednesday night gig was announced soon after when the Thursday gig was sold out.

As soon as the original Thursday gig was announced, I was straight to get a ticket, it had been a long wait for me to see Primal Scream, 11 years in fact, since they headined the Sunday night of the very first Tennent’s Vital.

I was very surprised by the choice of venue, as I thought they would have been able to play a bigger venue.

It was an early show (the band were onstage by 8.15pm), which caught a lot of people by surprise, as they just casually walked on stage, almost unnoticed, as the crowd were slow in the applause for the band they had come to see.

They opened with “2013”, a single from this year’s ‘More Light’ album, instantly recognisable with a distinctive saxophone riff.

The setlist, was rock heavy, focusing on songs from their current album, the highlight of which was “It’s Alright, It’s OK”, which even though it’s a new song, is best described as “Classic Primal Scream”

Big hits followed, such as “Country Girl” and “Rocks”

For the encore, the real classics were saved. Song songs are instantly recognisable within a second, and “Loaded” is one of those songs, with the crowd cheering wildly at the first mention of “Just what is it that you want?”

It was the best song of the night, the drumming was immense. Next up, was “Movin On Up”, with the tender acoustic intro being replaced with a loud electric guitar.

It didn’t matter, the crowd were loving up. Having originally appeared to be aloof and moody on stage during the earlier songs, Bobby Gillespie was now dancing, smiling and blowing kisses to the crowd.

He spoke of his love for Belfast, dedicating a song to David Holmes, who worked with them on their new album

11 years after I last saw them (It was my third time, having also seen them at T In The Park in 2002) and Primal Scream remain a class act.

Hopefully, it won’t be 11 years before I see them again.

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ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN – LIVE AT SECC 13.4.2013

Posted on April 16, 2013 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

Given the opportunity to see two of my favourite bands on the same bill, it would have been rude to turn down the opportunity.

I love Echo and the Bunnymen, and I must admit, the idea of them supporting James seemed a bit odd, as they never seemed natural bedfellows. People I had spoke to waiting to enter the arena were there solely to see the Bunnymen.

This was my second time seeing them, and it was very much like my previous time. They just got onstage and performed, not much interaction with the crowd, apart from when Ian McCullough praised Electronic Cigarettes, and to dedicate one song to Margaret Thatcher, clarifying, as if he needed to that “It wasn’t a tribute”

The setlist was mostly a Greatest Hits set, comprising of songs from Ballyhoo, apart from their big 1997 comeback hit ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’

A strange set due to it being reduced, and as support for another act, but still enjoyable.

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NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS – LIVE AT CUSTOM HOUSE SQUARE (BELSONIC) 20.8.2012

Posted on August 22, 2012 by analogueboyinadigitalworld

Even though I saw him at The Odyssey, as soon as it was announced that Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds were playing Belsonic, I made sure I was at the front of the queue for a ticket.

Musically brilliant, mixing solo songs and Oasis classics on a rotating basis, like his performance at The Odyssey. The thing is though, his solo album is so brilliant, he shouldn’t really need to rely on old songs to fill up a setlist.

Disappointingly, there was no encore, much to the anger of the crowd, a simple, rather swift just walking of the stage.

Managed to get an OK position for photos.

Enjoy

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